Amit Shah Sets 2029 Deadline for a Drug-Free Punjab
At Ludhiana on 20 October 2026, Home Minister Amit Shah set a target of 31 December 2029 to rid Punjab of the drug trade and burnt a Ravana of ‘Chitta’.
Why in News
On 20 October 2026 Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at the Vijayadashami festival in Ludhiana, Punjab, announced 31 December 2029 as the deadline for freeing the state of the drug trade and burnt a symbolic Ravana representing chitta.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah joined the Vijayadashami festival at Ludhiana in Punjab on 20 October 2026 and set fire to a symbolic effigy of Ravana made to stand for chitta, the drugs that have taken hold in parts of the state. The event turned the festival’s symbolism into a policy announcement.
The deadline announced
The Home Minister said the resolve taken on this Vijayadashami was to free the whole of Punjab from the drug trade by 31 December 2029 and to make it a drug-free state. He added that no tribute could be greater than this to the three brave individuals who had lost their lives, and he asked the people of the state to pass on information about the drug trade to the toll-free helpline of the Narcotics Control Bureau, on which, he said, the government would act.
The three deaths and the demand for a CBI probe
Earlier in the day the Home Minister had gone to three places in Punjab to meet families who lost their sons in the fight against drugs, and he said the tears, the questions and the pain of those relatives were enough to shake anyone. He noted that the state government had handed the investigation of one of the murders to the CBI and urged it to transfer the other two cases as well, saying that once the agency took over, anyone involved would be traced and jailed however powerful.
The record he cited
Amit Shah said the government had a record of delivering what it promised, pointing to Article 370 and Article 35A being gone, terrorism being close to its end and Naxalism having been brought to a close, and said the drug trade would be ended next.
Facts worth memorising
| Place | Ludhiana, Punjab |
| Occasion | Vijayadashami, 20 October 2026 |
| Target date | 31 December 2029 for a drug-free Punjab |
| Local tradition cited | The Ramlila Committee of Ludhiana has held the Ravana Dahan for 200 years |
For the exam
The date, the place and the holder of the office are what a question will ask for: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who also holds the Ministry of Cooperation, at Ludhiana on Vijayadashami, with 31 December 2029 as the deadline for a drug-free Punjab. Keep the agency names apart, since the CBI was asked to investigate the murders while the toll-free helpline belongs to the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Important Facts
| Who | Amit Shah, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation |
|---|---|
| Where | Ludhiana, Punjab |
| Occasion | Vijayadashami, 20 October 2026 |
| Symbolic act | Burning of a Ravana effigy representing chitta, or drugs |
| Target announced | A drug-free Punjab by 31 December 2029 |
| Tradition cited | Ravana Dahan held by the Ludhiana Ramlila Committee for 200 years |
| Investigation | One of three murders handed to the CBI; the other two sought |
| Helpline named | The toll-free helpline of the Narcotics Control Bureau |
Exam Point of View
Fix four things in memory: the office, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation; the place, Ludhiana in Punjab; the occasion, Vijayadashami on 20 October 2026; and the deadline, 31 December 2029 for a drug-free Punjab. Note also the 200 years of the Ludhiana Ravana Dahan, that one of three murder cases was with the CBI and that the toll-free helpline named was the Narcotics Control Bureau’s.
Practice Questions
By which date did Union Home Minister Amit Shah say Punjab would be freed of the drug trade?
- A.31 December 2027
- B.31 December 2029
- C.15 August 2030
- D.26 January 2028
Show answer
Speaking at the Vijayadashami festival in Ludhiana on 20 October 2026, the Union Home Minister said the resolve taken that day was to free the whole of Punjab from the drug trade by that date and to make the state drug-free, and he described it as the greatest tribute possible…
Read the full explanation →At the Ludhiana Vijayadashami event attended by the Union Home Minister, the effigy of Ravana that was burnt symbolised what?
- A.Chitta, that is drugs
- B.Corruption in public offices
- C.Stubble burning
- D.Illegal migration
Show answer
The effigy burnt by Amit Shah at Ludhiana on 20 October 2026 was described as the symbolic Ravana of chitta, which let the festival’s central idea, the victory of good over evil, carry a message about the drug trade in Punjab.
Read the full explanation →Which statement about the Union Home Minister’s Ludhiana address is correct?
- A.He asked people to report the drug trade on the Narcotics Control Bureau’s toll-free helpline
- B.He announced a new central police force for Punjab
- C.He said all three murder cases were already with the CBI
- D.He announced a financial package for Ludhiana’s Ramlila Committee
Show answer
The correct answer is that he asked people to report the drug trade on the Narcotics Control Bureau’s toll-free helpline, saying that the government would act on the information the public provided.
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
By what date does the Union Home Minister want Punjab freed of the drug trade?
By 31 December 2029. Amit Shah announced the target at the Vijayadashami festival in Ludhiana on 20 October 2026 and called it the resolve taken on that day.
What was symbolically burnt at the Ludhiana Vijayadashami event?
An effigy of Ravana made to represent chitta, or drugs. Amit Shah performed the burning, turning the festival’s idea of good defeating evil into a message against the drug trade.
Which agency was asked to investigate the murders, and which runs the helpline?
The CBI already had one of the three murder cases and was sought for the other two, while the toll-free helpline for reporting the drug trade is run by the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Sources
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